"Imperfect Road" is an unofficial title and subject to change. With my other books, a title very easily came to mind. Not so for this one.

I put together this Tumblr-style photoset as much for my own visualizing benefit as for your enjoyment! Being able to definitively see the scenes that I intend to write helps in the planning process.

Imperfect Road is a highly visual contemporary fiction piece about a road trip, human emotion, the limitations to perfection, and the paradox of the pursuit of happiness. Fans of John Green and books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower will feel right at home in the pages with Sadie, Devin, and Noah.

The book follows Sadie, whose lazy summer break is changed when two boys hide in her yard. Sounds like the perfect set up for a love triangle right? (NOPE. No cliche love triangle, here!) Sadie, Devin, and Noah embark on a wanderlust-fueled road trip to see their favorite band in a little yellow pickup truck affectionately called "Noah's Ark." With trouble on the road, at home, and in the future, their "escape" from mundane small-town life and summer math homework becomes a problem of its own. Between Cinnabons, soggy tents, near-death situations, recklessness, secrets, and a mathematical model for achieving perfection, Sadie, Devin, and Noah's last summer break becomes one impossible to forget.

Typically, when I have an idea for a story, something like this comes to mind. I'll envision different scenes that I want to write, and then when I have enough in the same kind of vein and genre, I mush all these scenes I imagine into a book, add some characters and themes, and sit down. Trouble is, I only have these individual scenes to go off of. Point A, Point B, Point C, and so on. I don't often have any clue how the characters get between these points, so it's kind of fun (and often challenging!) to follow them around and see where they go. ​

What is the Solace of Reaching?

The philosophy/moral of the story is one I've spent a great deal of time thinking about. In short, the idea is that you shouldn't pressure yourself to become perfect, but instead reach towards becoming better. You can't reach perfection, but you can work on becoming better than you once were. There's a fine print distinction between this attitude towards self-improvement and dangerously trying to measure up to the impossible.

One of the morals, then, is to not try to be perfect, but to try to be better.

Aside from being a largely visually-oriented novel, Imperfect Road is also very much music-driven. This playlist includes many of the songs I listen to while I write. They set the mood, evoke emotion and thought, and make for a pretty good introspective road trip mix.

Included are tracks from Coldplay, The Killers, The 1975, Twenty One Pilots, and Walk the Moon, but it primarily consists of songs by less well-known artists, whose songs are incredible and inspiring nonetheless.

I'm a big fan of music, and a more in-depth look into my tastes and favorite bands can be found at www.oliverdahl.com/music!